Photographic fluid processing apparatus



March 28, 1967 c. LUCAS 3,311,039

PHOTQGRAPHIC FLUID PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed July 9, 1964 .1. t l I :llhl. if I8 o u --21 i i ii:,= '6 28 (I I I [I] f I 1 24 230 1 3 I FIG. 2

INVENTOR, CHRISTOPHER LUCAS 2 1 2610 BY: 280 d 4 ATTORNEYS.

UnitedStates Patent 3,311,039 PHOTOGRAPHIC FLUID PROCESSING APPARATUS Christopher Lucas, Long Branch, N.J., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army- Filed July 9, 1964, Ser. No. 381,599 2 Claims. (Cl. 95--94) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to photography and more particularly to an apparatus for use in connection therewith, and has for an object to provide an apparatus that can be used in the processing of photographic paper and film.

Heretofore certain types of apparatus have been used for treating film or the like. Included in these types were processing tanks including therein a plurality of rollers over which the film was threaded. In this type the film was brought from one spool, threaded through the processing tank and rewound upon a second spool. In such apparatus it was not possible to process relatively small individual sheets of film.

An object of the invention is to provide a device which will be free of complicated mechanism and in which the film to be treated is completely immersed in the processing solution which is in continuous movement.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus through which the processing solution is continuously passed through the processing tank and in which the film to be treated is also continuously passed.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for transporting a sensitized material, such as photographic film through a processing solution regardless of the size or length of the film.

The above features and objectives are accomplished in a processing tank wherein there is maintained a hydraulic pressure difference across a porous moving belt upon which the sheets of sensitized material can be held and conveyed through the processing solution.

The above and other features and advantages of the processing device will be apparent from the following description and in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the apparatus, parts being broken away to disclose the inner structure, and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, taken on the line 22 thereof.

:In the description that follows, the apparatus will be described as applied for fixing of photographic film in an appropriate fixing solution. However, it is to be understood that the apparatus is not so limited, as it may be used in the development, washing or other treatment of any sensitized or like material.

For a description of the apparatus reference is made to the drawing, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views. The apparatus includes a tank 10, which is open at its top, and within which is contained the liquid fixing solution 12. Positioned within the tank are a pair of rollers, an upper roller 14 and a lower roller 16, the lower roller being hollow and provided with an undercut surface, as shown, for reasons hereinafter pointed out. Both rollers 14 and and 16 are carried on shafts which terminate in bearings, one of which is shown at 18, to effect rotation of the shafts and rollers by a source of power 19 external of the tank. The rollers 14 and 16 support an endless perforated or porous belt 20 which is moved through the solution 12 as the rollers are rotated. Shown in contact with the belt 20, and movable therewith is the film 22 undergoing fixing in its travel through the tank 10. Also confined in the tank 10 are a pair of pressure manifolds 24 and 24a, provided with openings 25 which are spaced from the outer discrete surfaces of the belt 20 as shown. There .is also contained within the area defined by the belt 20, another manifold 26, designated as a vacuum manifold provided with intake openings 27. The manifolds 24 and 26 are interlinked by tubing 28, 28a and a pump 30 between the two sections of tubing 28, 28a. To guide the film 22 off from the roller 14, after its travel through the tank, there is provided a finger, or a plurality of fingers 32 which are secured to a bar or similar holding device adjacent to the top of the tank.

The processing apparatus herein described is used in the following manner. With the appropriate liquid fixing solution in the tank 10, the rollers 14 and 16 are set into operation. At the same time the pump 30 is also put into operation. The film 22 is then placed into the tank in engagement with the porous belt 20. The film in its travel along with the belt is held against the roller mainly by the pressure dilierential maintained between the inner confines of the belt and the remainder of the tank. It is apparent that such pressure differential will be set up by the action of the pump in effecting the flow of the solution from the manifold 26 in the area inside the moving belt to and through the manifolds 24 and 24a positioned away from the belt. The liquid fixing solution upon ejection from the manifolds 24 and 24a will be forcibly sprayed over the entire surface area of the film 22. The solution then enters into the area within the belt, into the vacuum or exhaust manifold 26, through the tubing 28 and pump 30 to eifect a continuous cycle. The film upon its completion of travel through the tank will be guided by action of the fingers 32 into an appropriate receptacle, or another treating tank if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A processing apparatus for photographic film, or the like, comprising a tank having therein a processing solution, a conveyor means for said film including an endless,

porous belt carried by a pair of spaced rotatable rollers within said tank, a vacuum manifold disposed within the area defined by said belt, at least one pressure spray manifold within the tank and spaced from one of the elongated side surfaces of said belt, a length of tubing between said vacuum manifold and said pressure spray manifold, and means intermediate said tubing for extracting the liquid processing solution from said vacuum manifold and directing said solution into said pressure spray manifold and onto said film to maintain said film on said belt in its travel.

2. A processing apparatus of the kind set forth in claim 1 and further including means spaced from said belt for guiding said film 011 from said belt.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,116,676 1/1964 Kuo -89 3,165,047 1/1965 Hersh 9594 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,140,299 1/ 6' France.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner. CLIFFORD B. PRICE, Examiner. J. F. PETERS, JR., Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PROCESSING APPARATUS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM, OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING A TANK HAVING THEREIN A PROCESSING SOLUTION, A CONVEYOR MEANS FOR SAID FILM INCLUDING AN ENDLESS POROUS BELT CARRIED BY A PAIR OF SPACED ROTATABLE ROLLERS WITHIN SAID TANK, A VACUUM MANIFOLD DISPOSED WITHIN THE AREA DEFINED BY SAID BELT, AT LEAST ONE PRESSURE SPRAY MANIFOLD WITHIN THE TANK AND SPACED FROM ONE OF THE ELONGATED SIDE SURFACES OF SAID BELT, A LENGTH OF TUBING BETWEEN SAID VACUUM MANIFOLD AND SAID PRESSURE SPRAY MANIFOLD, AND MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID TUBING FOR EXTRACTING THE LIQUID PROCESSING SOLUTION FROM SAID VACUUM MANIFOLD AND DIRECTING SAID SOLUTION INTO SAID PRESSURE SPRAY MANIFOLD AND ONTO SAID FILM TO MAINTAIN SAID FILM ON SAID BELT IN ITS TRAVEL. 